The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-14
ASTRONOMERS BY THE EARS.
Prof. Klein Responds to Prof. Proctor
Anent the Star of Bethlehem.
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat

From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
HARTFORD. KY, June 81 am greatly
surprised to read Prof. Richard A. Proctor's
criticism of my discovery of the Star of
Bethlehem" Judging from the tone of his
letter, am inclined to believe that he be-
longs to the old-fogy school of astronomers,
who still ching to old exploded theories in
the face of all modern research. Now, III
the face of his criticism, | again announce
to the scientific world that have discovered
the "Star of Bethlehem" And the ''Star
of Bethlehem" it is.
Prof. Proctor says: "Any one who can
see Cassiopeia at night in the middle OF May
toward the zenith deserves most assuredly
the attention Of the world" Now, did not
claim TO see Cassiopeia at night at all. |
saw it in the afternoon before shutdown, and
closely skirting the horizon, and not in the
zenith
l belong to the modern school of astrono-
mers, and have discovered that by the use
of a smoked glass and mirror attachment to
my telescope | can detect heavenly bodies,
even in close proximity to the sum- in broad
daylight Any schoolboy or any person
who has gazed upon an eclipse of the sun
through smoked glass can readily under
stand the principles involved In my new
method. 1t is not necessary for me to wait
until the shades of night appear in order to
detect a heavenly body, which by that time
would be below the horizon, and conse-
quently invisible from our latitude.
If Prof Proctor will take the trouble to
provide himself with modern astronomical
instruments-with smoked glass and
mirror-and endow his old fogy mind with
few modern and progressive astronomical
ideas, and will take a peep heavenward
about 4 o'clock any afternoon this time of
year, he will find the constellation of Cas-
siopeia in the position l have described it,
and i'll the midst of that rich old constella-
ton he will see the Star of Bethlehem blaz-
ing forth with lustre most intense.
Ridicqle it and the Christian religion and
the New Testament-inspireda account of this
wonderful star as he may, it still remains
intact, 1.-THE Star of Bethlehem" Just as the
Christian religion, which has been assailed
by Bob Ingersoll and other infidels, is still
with us and still guides countless multitudeS
on the path that leads to the pearly gates of
the New Jerusalem.
Gods ways are past finding out, even to
the wisest astronomer and scientist; and when
Prof. Proctor says that it was impossible for
the great creator of the universe to cause the
sun to stand still, or for the Star of Bethle-
hem to guide the wise men of the East to the
Manager in which the infant Savior law he
is treading on dangerous ground, for God,
the great Creator of the universe, could GER
tainly frame laws for the movements of his
heavenly bodies to suit just such important
events, whether Prof Proctor or any other
scientists of this day can understand how it
was done or not. Does Prof Proctor I'M
derstand how God hung the earth upon
nothing, or why he created Jupiter, Saturn.
Mars, or the constellation of Cassiopeia, or
e thousand other consultations; or why he
created Prof. Proctor to take issue with him
and with the New Testament and with
''The Kentucky Professor" who dared to
announce his discovery to the world even in
the face of the vials of wrath hurled at his
head by the great, the noted and the tai
ented, but in this instance the greatly mis-
taken, English astronomer?
| I do not claim my recent discovery as
being the Tycho Brahe star, which appeared
in the years of 945 and 1854 in tract in the
heavens between Cassiopeia and Cepheus.
simply claim it is the original Star of Beth
lehem, and 1 defy Prof Proctor or any
other astronomer to prove that it is not.
JOHN M. KLEIN,
OF Hartford Observatory